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Our nine Porsche 911s are all still in the Safari Rally and going well given the conditions. I just spoke to Richard who is at the end of stage 11, waiting for the cars to come out.
“This is a tough, tough rally: one of the hardest Safaris yet. All credit to those who have managed to keep going, as it has not been an easy ride so far.
“Day 3 started with a busy service and Day 4 was the same or worse! Thomas Flohr had an accident yesterday which knocked him down the order and today he suffered transmission failure, likely connected to the off. The boys changed the transmission in 24 minutes: not bad for the side of the road in Kenya.
“Paolo Faldini has given us our first ever broken rear suspension arm in rallying. We’re unsure of the cause as yet. He’s been doing a great job on the event and steering clear of trouble, so we don’t think it is accident related. We’ve just sent a crew into the stage to fix or recover: we’ll keep him going whatever.
“Steve Troman is into a nice stride, with Michael Nutt now on the notes after Calvin had problems with his back and was forced out of the car. Steve glanced off a cow today, which I’m sure was unpleasant for the poor animal but was just as unpleasant for the Porsche, as it painted the side of the car in … fertiliser. Luckily Steve had the window closed.
“Richard Jackson and Aslam Khan are keeping out of trouble and enjoying their cars. Flying Franz Wunderlich got stuck in the mud this morning and lost quite a bit of time: a great shame, as Franz has been really fantastic in the car over the last few days.
“Up at the front is Björn, 34 minutes in the lead but this race is far from over. Anything could happen between now and Monday, so we are keeping very quiet! Steve Funk is now in fourth place which is a credit to his skill and consistency. The car has been running well and the Kenyan audience loves that chrome colour scheme. Travis Clarke will drive the car again this afternoon: a man who is fast and great fun to have around.
“Travis Pastrana nicked a brake line this morning so ran out of brakes. He set the sixth fastest time on stage 10: just under six minutes behind Bjorn over 124 kms. This is Travis’ last day on the rally and the whole team will miss his enthusiasm and positivity.
“To sum up, it is tough and it’s only going to get tougher. We’re focused on keeping our cars in top condition and giving our drivers a platform they can trust: that’s always our priority. Rest day for the drivers is tomorrow: a good chance for us to regroup and catch our breath before the second half of the Safari Rally.
“The only change in Part 2 for us is that Patrick Njiru will take the reins of Tanzanite Blue, number 24. We’re sure that both he and his country will enjoy his Race4Change in a Tuthill Porsche.”
